2023 Report: Household Bills as a Percentage of Income in the US
How does the cost of living in your state impact your income?
doxo provides key insights about household expenses in all 50 states and 4200 cities and towns across the U.S., breaking down localized bill pay data figures and providing insight into the cost of living and how it changes according to location.
The data sheds light on each state and city’s cost of living through other metrics, such as indicating how much more or less expensive specific towns are in relation to national and state averages.
Absolute dollar amounts don’t tell the whole story. However, the “percentage of household income” metric provides a more proportional look at bill spending in a particular location.
Which U.S. States see the largest impact on personal income from household bills?
Florida households spend 42% of their income on household costs, a higher share than in many states, where households pay more expensive bills. Although New Jersey residents live in the third most expensive state for bills, they spend just 35% of household income on them.
Louisiana residents use the highest percentage of income for household bills
Out of the 50 U.S. states, Louisiana residents use the highest amount of their income for household bills, amounting to 44% of the state’s average annual household income of $52,111. However, Louisiana ranks 32nd in the U.S. for household expenses, paying an average of $1,906 monthly for bills.
Following Louisiana for the states where the highest percentage of income used for household bills are:
- Hawaii, second largest with 43% of household income
- Florida, third largest with 42% of household income
- Mississippi, fourth largest with 41% of household income
Utah ranks 19th in the U.S. for household bills and pays an average of $2,097 per month, making it more expensive than Louisiana. However, despite the high cost, Utah residents spend the lowest percentage of their personal income on household bills. On average, they use only 33% of their annual household income of $75,219 for household bills.
50 States Ranked Highest to Lowest on Income Used for Bills
| Rank | State | Annual Bill Spend | Average Hh Income | Percent Hh Income |
| 1 | Louisiana | $22,871 | $52,111 | 44% |
| 2 | Hawaii | $36,844 | $85,253 | 43% |
| 3 | Florida | $25,349 | $60,520 | 42% |
| 4 | Mississippi | $19,387 | $47,100 | 41% |
| 5 | Alabama | $21,267 | $53,384 | 40% |
| 6 | California | $34,055 | $85,267 | 40% |
| 7 | Idaho | $23,256 | $58,834 | 40% |
| 8 | Montana | $23,032 | $57,288 | 40% |
| 9 | New Mexico | $21,077 | $52,051 | 40% |
| 10 | Nevada | $25,491 | $63,504 | 40% |
| 11 | South Carolina | $22,238 | $55,711 | 40% |
| 12 | Arkansas | $19,618 | $49,706 | 39% |
| 13 | North Carolina | $22,959 | $58,912 | 39% |
| 14 | Oregon | $26,870 | $68,228 | 39% |
| 15 | Tennessee | $22,092 | $57,063 | 39% |
| 16 | Arizona | $24,632 | $64,335 | 38% |
| 17 | Georgia | $24,051 | $63,665 | 38% |
| 18 | Kentucky | $20,521 | $53,563 | 38% |
| 19 | Maine | $23,213 | $61,009 | 38% |
| 20 | New York | $29,936 | $78,147 | 38% |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $27,883 | $72,552 | 38% |
| 22 | Texas | $25,314 | $66,768 | 38% |
| 23 | West Virginia | $18,361 | $48,022 | 38% |
| 24 | Washington | $29,621 | $80,881 | 37% |
| 25 | Colorado | $28,956 | $77,375 | 37% |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $20,464 | $55,162 | 37% |
| 27 | Vermont | $24,433 | $65,221 | 37% |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $23,729 | $64,816 | 37% |
| 29 | Wyoming | $24,374 | $65,255 | 37% |
| 30 | Iowa | $22,341 | $62,532 | 36% |
| 31 | Alaska | $28,018 | $79,389 | 35% |
| 32 | Illinois | $25,448 | $72,703 | 35% |
| 33 | Massachusetts | $31,867 | $90,015 | 35% |
| 34 | Michigan | $21,710 | $62,531 | 35% |
| 35 | Missouri | $21,193 | $60,042 | 35% |
| 36 | New Jersey | $32,722 | $92,374 | 35% |
| 37 | Ohio | $21,468 | $60,612 | 35% |
| 38 | South Dakota | $20,918 | $59,883 | 35% |
| 39 | Connecticut | $30,051 | $87,211 | 34% |
| 40 | Delaware | $24,527 | $71,185 | 34% |
| 41 | Indiana | $20,652 | $59,951 | 34% |
| 42 | Kansas | $21,836 | $63,738 | 34% |
| 43 | Maryland | $30,828 | $91,068 | 34% |
| 44 | North Dakota | $22,107 | $64,563 | 34% |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $27,872 | $80,842 | 34% |
| 46 | Pennsylvania | $23,061 | $66,974 | 34% |
| 47 | Virginia | $27,847 | $81,856 | 34% |
| 48 | Minnesota | $24,944 | $75,868 | 33% |
| 49 | Nebraska | $21,461 | $64,332 | 33% |
| 50 | Utah | $25,159 | $75,219 | 33% |
View average monthly payments infographic for the 10 most common household bill categories, state-level rankings, most common time and method of payment, and more.
You can also browse similar infographics for more than 4,000 cities across the U.S., and all 50 states. Learn about doxoINSIGHTS methodology.